The guild hall was alive with the sound of laughter and violence. Beautiful drunken chaos reigned supreme throughout the guild as the ever energetic members of the guild engaged each other in merciless light-hearted combat. Lucy was sitting by the bar with Mira just watching the battle go down.

She couldn't help but feel a little envious as she watched Elfman and Evergreen fight back to back to protect the other. Or as she watched Gajeel pummel anyone who came anywhere near Levy. Juvia and Grey, Romeo and Wendy… everywhere she looked there were couples fighting alongside each other.

Lucy sighed, she was eighteen now and had never had a boyfriend. Sure she had been on dates but they all ended up being with sleaze bags who expected her to be 'easy'.

Lucy was so busy feeling sorry for herself that she never noticed a certain pink haired fire mage plop down in the bar stool next to her.

"Lucy?" The fire dragon slayer asked quietly.

Lucy turned to face her best friend but the sad look in her eyes and on her face didn't dissipate, but instead became mirrored by the face of the man sitting next to her who hated seeing her upset.

"Hey Natsu." She greeted quietly.

Silently Natsu raised one of his hands and placed it comfortingly on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked kindly. Natsu may not have been one of the sharpest tools in the shed but he always knew how the people around him were feeling, especially with someone as close to him as Lucy was.

Before Lucy answered she turned to look back at the couples in the crowd. "Do you ever get tired of being alone?" Lucy asked dejectedly, recently even Happy had found someone in Carla so now Natsu pretty much was constantly alone.

"It's the thing I hate most in life." Natsu answered honestly.

Lucy looked back at the man beside him. He wasn't a boy anymore but a man, he was taller and thankfully a little bit more self-controlled… but not by much. He had been by Lucy's side through the hardest and most arduous moments of her life and she had been by his during his as well.

The look on Natsu's face melted into a smile as he continued to talk to her. "But you shouldn't be worried about ending up alone." He added warmly.

Lucy raised one of her eyebrows in response. "Why's that?" She asked sceptically.

Natsu removed his hand from her shoulder and instead draped his arm around the blond's shoulders. "Because you are the prettiest, most beautiful and sexiest being that has ever existed." Natsu stated as if it was common knowledge, which it sorta was. Lucy blushed a thousand different shades of red. "Plus you're smart, funny and cute. Not to mention loyal and kind."

"Natsu…" Lucy managed to squeak out, Natsu blushed when he realised he'd suddenly spilt his heart out for his best friend.

The rest of their day and night consisted of the both of them getting absolutely hammered whilst comforting the other. The guild became quieter and quieter as most of the members left and called it a night, soon the only two left were the drunken pink haired dragon slayer and the equally smashed blond celestial wizard; even Mira had left after leaving a large barrel of mead out for the two wizards to consume.

"You know what Natsu?" Lucy slurred, she had one of her eyes closed in some sort of strange attempt to keep her focus… drunken logic?

"What Luce?" Natsu somewhat answered after taking a hefty swig of his mead.

"We shouldn't worry about being alone and do you know why?" She said whilst swinging her own mead around for dramatic effect.

"Why?" Natsu slurred, hiccupping for good measure.

"Because as long as we have each other then everything will be fine!" She shouted loudly to the empty guild hall.

"Cheers to that!" Natsu shouted in response as he and Lucy slammed their drinks together before drinking heartily.

Lucy watched as Natsu refilled their drinks from the barrel Mira had left for them.

"Natsu, let's make a deal." Lucy stated drunkenly as her best friend handed her back her drink.

"What kind of deal?" Natsu queried.

"We're eighteen now right?"

"Lucy that's a question not a deal…" Natsu answered through his own giggles, his hazy mind making him think he was some kind of comedy genius.

"Try to focus Natsu." Lucy attempted to chastise the pink haired man but her drunken state was making him seem a lot funnier than he actually was. "Just try and answer the question.

"Yes." Natsu replied as he was swaying from side to side. "We are both eighteen."

"Ok then." Lucy said confidently, highly impressed with her drunken deal she wanted to make. "I propose we make a deal that if we're both single by the time we're twenty-one then we get married!" Lucy shouted happily.

Natsu looked at her for a moment in deep concentration… just remember how intoxicated he is before you get your hopes up.

"Make it twenty years old and you have a deal!" Natsu answered happily.

"Deal!" Lucy shouted as she wrapped her pinkie finger around the extended pinkie finger of Natsu.

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The next morning Lucy awoke to the smiling face of Mira and the giddy joy on the face of Levy. Lucy was suffering from a massive headache and dry-mouth so she was in no mood to chastise these two for breaking into her room. She also felt incredibly comfortable and warm for some reason.

"Good morning Lucy!" Mira cheered loudly, the volume of Mira's voice sent shockwaves through Lucy's already spinning head.

"Why are you in my room?" Lucy croaked out quietly.

"We're not in your room silly." Mira answered, a little more quietly this time but not much.

"You fell asleep in the guild hall." Levy tried to clarify.

As Levy spoke a few memories of the day/night before began to return to her mind. She remembered trying to drink her sorrows away with Natsu who was attempting to do the same thing. As she thought back to the previous night she felt something shift against her back, that was when she noticed the strong arms wrapped around her waist and the warm breath on the back of her neck.

Lucy slowly lifter her head off the sturdy chest of the man she had fallen asleep on. As she turned around the first thing she saw was a spiky mess of pink hair and a warm content smile. As the warm and slightly welcomed blush spread across her face all the memories of the previous night came flooding back, including the impromptu marriage proposal.

"Oh my…" Lucy whispered. She couldn't help but smile slightly, even as the two girls behind her squealed with joy.

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News about Lucy and Natsu's little deal spread around the guild like wild-fire. Everyone knew about, but after a couple of threats by a half demoness bartender everyone got the point that they were not to bring it up around the two wizards.

A year passed by in the blink of an eye. Natsu and Lucy had been on more missions together than anyone could have imagined, they even moved in together but for some reason that was completely unknown to the rest of the guild they still weren't a couple.

It was clear to all of the guild members that both of them were intentionally staying single, but they both still bushed and stuttered whenever anyone mentioned them as a couple.

Natsu had just recently turned twenty and in 3 weeks' time it would be July 1st, Lucy's twentieth birthday.

It was surprising how fast those three weeks disappeared.

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Lucy awoke to the wondrous smell of bacon, eggs and other delicious smelling breakfast foods. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, squinting against the light she was shocked to see the smiling face of her best-friend/house-mate Natsu standing in her doorway with a large tray of breakfast foods and even a cup of her favourite herbal tea.

Lucy smiled as she slowly sat up and stretched, Natsu cheerfully made his way into her room and placed the tray of food safely on her lap after she finished stretching.

"Happy birthday Lucy." Natsu said smiling; he kissed her cheek before he moved back causing her to blush.

"T-thanks Natsu." Lucy stuttered out. "It looks great." Lucy began happily eating her breakfast. It wasn't long before she realised that there was way too much food for her.

"Did I overdo it?" Natsu asked bashfully.

Lucy smiled warmly at him. "Nope." She replied happily as she pulled her bed covers to the side, inviting him to jump in beside her. Smiling Natsu, still clad only in his boxers, jumped into bed next to the busty blond who was only wearing a very tight fitting vest and bed shorts combo and as politely as he could began shovelling his face.

Not long after the food was gone and both of the wizards looked very content.

"You ready for your presents?" Natsu asked teasingly.

Lucy couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes. "You didn't have to get me anything."

Natsu jumped out of the bed again and quickly left her room. As Lucy watched the pink haired man exit her room she couldn't help but repeat a certain promise over and over again in her head, she couldn't lie… she was hopeful he hadn't forgotten. He returned a few seconds later with a medium sized nicely wrapped package.

He sat down on the edge of her bed and handed it to her with a smile. "This is present number one."

Lucy grinned happily as she took the gift from Natsu. She opened it being as gentle as she could. Inside was a beautiful new light red summer dress with an intricate looking 'key' graphic winding down the left side of the dress in gold.

"It's beautiful Natsu!" Lucy shouted in joy as she jumped at the fire mage and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled and blushed as he returned her embrace.

"I got Levy and Juvia to help me with the measurements and stuff… I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" Lucy cheered. She looked deep into Natsu's eyes. "Thank you Natsu."

As she spoke she watched Natsu turn the same shade as Erza's hair. "I… err… guess it's time for present number two…" Natsu croaked out nervously.

Lucy couldn't help but wonder why he looked so nervous. She followed his orders and sat on the edge of her bed when he told her to and she felt her eyes practically leave her skull as he dropped down to one knee in front of her. Lucy gasped in shock and her hands leapt up to cover her mouth as she stared at the pink haired man in shock and happiness.

Natsu looked her dead in the eyes and even though he looked terrified he still spoke with a conviction that was only heard on rare occasions from the mouth of the fire mage.

"Lucy." Natsu began, the same conviction still lacing his words. "I'm pretty sure you remember that deal we made a few years ago and… well… that has nothing to do with what I'm doing now." Natsu said confidently. The blond haired beauty watched him through teary eyes as he continued. "I'm not doing this because of a bet we made when we were drunk, I'm doing this because… because… because I love you more than life itself Lucy."

Lucy felt her breath hitch in her throat as she heard him confess.

"I don't think that I could ever live without you and the thought of even having to attempt it scares the living shit out of me." Throughout his speech Natsu's eyes never left Lucy's. "Lucy… will you be my everything? Will you marry me?"

As Natsu finished his proposal he pulled a small box out from underneath Lucy's bed, he had obviously left it under there earlier so that he could surprise her.

Lucy stared at him with eyes full of passion and affection. She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck for the second time that morning. She buried her head into his shoulder as the tears of joy began to flow.

"Of course I will." Lucy cried. Natsu felt his body shudder as it rocked in relief. "But not because of the deal." Lucy continued. "But because I love you… I love you more than I could ever express." She said warmly as she lifted her head to look into the eyes of her new fiancé.

They both leaned into to each other and shared the first kiss either of them had ever had. It was beautiful, sweet and passionate and was filled with all of the emotions and feelings they had for each other. As they pulled away they couldn't help but stare into each other's eyes longingly.

Neither of them could wait to get to the guild and break the news. It was going to be a good day, right?